Identifying Different Types Of Weeds
Before you rip out those weeds around your pepper or peony plants, take a good look at them. Do you know what species they are? Some garden weeds are justly famous plants: dandelions, quackgrass, ragweed, etc. But you may identify many weeds simply because you know you didn’t plant them. If so, take time to learn what species and type of weeds they are, so you can plan an efficient strategy for controlling them.
Annual Weeds: More than 80 percent of the weeds you’ll find in your garden are annuals – plants that live and die in a single season and reproduce only by seed. These characteristics make them seem like vulnerable species. However, their survival is protected two ways. Most annual plants produce amazing numbers of seeds – hundreds of thousands in some cases – guaranteeing that at least a score or two will end up in favorable spots for germination and growth. Because of this, hand pulling plants before they set seed is usually the first, best method for keeping annual weed problems from worsening.
The second survival safeguard for annuals is seed dormancy, the ability of seeds to remain undeveloped but viable for as long as several years. This quality protects seeds from germinating in poor soil or unfavorable climatic conditions.
A plant will often produce both non-dormant seeds and seeds that carry an inborn, or innate, dormancy. The innately dormant seeds will not germinate, even in favorable conditions, until the predetermined dormancy period ends. As examples of innate dormancy, think of columbine, pansy, and primrose. These flower seeds all need to be stratified – exposed to cold and/or alternating warm and cool periods – before they will grow.
Dormancy can also occur when conditions signal a poor growing environment. Soil oxygen
and carbon dioxide levels, light availability, day length, temperature, and moisture are all crucial to seed germination. For example, many seeds, including coleus, impatiens, and lettuce, won’t germinate unless they are exposed to light This type of response is known as environmental dormancy.
Perennial Weeds: Perennials are plants that live at least three years. Most live much longer. Almost all perennials produce seeds but, unlike annuals, they also reproduce vegetatively, usually from nodes on underground stems and/or roots. Most gardeners would rank perennials, particularly woody ones, as the most annoying weeds. Some species, like poison ivy, send up vigorous new shoots as far as 20 feet from the parent plant.
Other perennials, even the small, herbaceous sort, can be tiresomely tenacious. If you hack off their tops, even removing what appears to be the growing crown, they’re likely to re-gather their forces and sprout more plants. You’ve probably had that experience with dandelions – if
you don’t get the whole root, what was merely one plant turns into three or four! Generally,
controlling stubborn perennial weeds without chemicals involves digging out plants, including rootstocks, sometimes for more than one season, and/or applying a heavy suppressive mulch.
Biennial, Winter Annual, and Grass Weeds: Biennials live for two seasons. They grow only roots, stems, and leaves the first year and usually lie low to the ground in a rosette pattern. The second year, they produce upright stems that bear flowers and seeds. Common mullein and Queen-Anne’s-lace are two common biennial weeds. For efficient control, it’s best to treat biennials as perennials during the first year and annuals during the second. Winter annuals behave similarly to biennials. They usually germinate between midsummer and early fall, forming only a base rosette of leaves. Early the following spring, they send up flower stalks and make seeds. Because they have such a jump on the season, they’re usually the first plants to go to seed each year.
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